At Simpson’s in the Strand, chess has long been part of the fabric of the house. In the 19th century, players gathered here beneath the chandeliers to test nerve, judgement and patience over the chess board, making Simpson’s one of London’s great homes of the game. Yet our interest in chess extends beyond history.
On Sunday 18 October, the Assembly Room will swap event service for chessboards, as 12 players gather for an evening of strategy and spectacle.
Join us for an inaugural evening of chess, hosted by international concert pianist, chess enthusiast and all-round Renaissance man Jason Kouchak, with British Chess Grandmasters Stuart Conquest and Luke McShane.
The evening begins with simultaneous chess: Stuart Conquest taking on all 12 players at once. The three best performers will then face Luke McShane — who, in a feat of considerable concentration, will play the games blindfolded.
And then things take a turn. For the final round, all 12 players return to the board for Jazz Chess, a new game invented by Jason Kouchak especially for the evening. Quite what that means, you’ll have to come and find out.
Player tickets are strictly limited to 12 places and will be given on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are prices at £75 per player include a cocktail on arrival: The Immortal Game.
Prefer to watch rather than play? Spectator tickets are also available at £25, giving you a ringside seat for the games, Jason’s commentary and, naturally, a cocktail on arrival. Drinks from the bar will also be available to purchase.
We have often thought there is something in chess that speaks quietly to hospitality itself. Hospitality, like chess, is the art of reading the room before making the move. No two services, like no two games, ever unfold the same way. The same room, the same rituals – but every table, every guest, every evening asks something different of us.
In chess, there are lines to follow, but also spaces to interpret. We think the same may be true of restaurants. Lines guide us. Spaces define us.
It seems only fitting, then, to bring this tradition back to Simpson’s, not only to celebrate its rich chess history, but to consider what the game might still teach us about the pleasures of good hospitality.
Host of the series and newly appointed Director of Chess at Simpson’s in the Strand, Jason Kouchak is a classical pianist who has played chess since the age of six. Over the years, he has organised chess events and productions worldwide, exploring the game through performance, visualisation techniques and creative interpretation.
For Jason, chess extends beyond competition. As he reflects: “The important life skills of managing lines and spaces on a chessboard help a new generation of players to focus, think ahead and understand the art of movement in everyday life.”
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